7 Chapter 7: Demands and Debts

Chapter 7: Demands and Debts

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Third-Person Perspective:

After conversing with him for a while, Shinobu left the room when she noticed that Yuki wanted to have a private chat and she also had others thing to do.

As Shinobu discreetly left the room, Yuki felt a bit embarrassed. However, she saw her opportunity and swiftly moved in front of him, offering a deep bow as she said, "Thanks for saving my life. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be a ghost in the underworld right now."

Observing her intensely grateful expression, he was tempted to respond with a cheeky remark, like, 'I'd still see you even if you were a ghost.' But seeing the earnestness in her eyes, he held back.

Finally, Ace spoke, "I appreciate your thanks."

Hearing this, Yuki breathed a sigh of relief.

But Ace wasn't done, "Now, about my compensation."

"Huh?" Yuki was puzzled.

Ace shook his head, as if explaining something to a child, "I risked my neck to save you from that demon, instead of running out of there. Don't I deserve a little something for my heroics?"

Yuki argued, "But…you would've become the demon's food too! You couldn't outrun it."

Ace then said with a straight face, "Who said I had to outrun the demon? I just needed to outrun you, and I'd have been sipping tea in the sunrise".

Yuki was taken aback, not expecting her savior to be this blunt and playful, but she couldn't deny his logic, considering he did save her life.

"But..." Yuki made a troubled face, being an orphan who barely scraped by cooking for other families after her parents passed away, she didn't have anything valuable to offer.

"I don't have anything of value to give you," she finally confessed.

Ace's smile widened as he looked at her meaningfully.

For a moment, Yuki was lost, but it soon dawned on her that he might be talking about her—he wanted her!

'Uhh…what should I do now? I don't have anything to offer him. I barely get by eating just one or two meals a day, but…he did save my life. I can't just leave him empty-handed. If he is asking for my company…I can agree as long as he doesn't treat me badly.' Yuki thought. She didn't expect him to be this assertive and greedy, but she wasn't completely disgusted by the idea either, considering he didn't look like some evil man with his handsome and suave figure.

But it still felt a bit too rushed and quick. It hadn't even been a full day since they first met, and he was already making such demands.

However, given the circumstances and her lack of alternatives, she could only reluctantly agree to his proposition.

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Ace perspective:

Ace was having a good time observing the various emotions that flickered across Yuki's face, finding it quite entertaining. But he realised that it was time to put an end to this playful joke and ease the tension.

"I was just jokin…," Ace began to say, but another voice finished before he could complete it.

"I agree," Yuki replied with determination.

"Huh?" Ace was taken aback.

"Huh?" Yuki echoed, her tone now mirroring his surprise.

Both of them initially sported expressions of astonishment, but that quickly gave way to an awkward embarrassment as they realised the misunderstanding.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Ace, thinking about how serious this situation had become, couldn't help but muse, 'These women here are way too serious. It's not even a day since we met, and things are already this awkward. But it's my fault for joking with her.'

While in Yuki's mind, one sentence kept repeating on an endless loop, 'He was joking, He was joking, He was joking….'

Feeling responsible for the awkwardness, Ace tried to break the ice.

Ace cleared his throat, attempting to diffuse the awkward tension. "I was just joking about the whole 'payment' thing. You don't need to stay with me; it was a jest.

Yuki's eyes displayed a hint of embarrassment, but she was also relieved, "You were joking?"

Ace chuckled, "Yep, I thought I'd test your reaction. You passed with flying colors, I must say."

Yuki couldn't help but complain. "You are such a bully!"

Just then, Shinobu abruptly swung open the door and entered the room, catching their attention. She turned to Yuki and said, "Someone's looking for you."

Suddenly, Yuki's face displayed anxiety as she hurriedly made her way to the door. She paused, turned back toward Ace and Shinobu, and offered another bow. "Thank you for saving my life."

Ace didn't miss a beat, reminding her with a playful smirk, "My demand is still on the table if you're interested."

Yuki, showing a shy expression, quickly exited the room.Ace couldn't help but think, 'These girls are too innocent,'.

Turning his attention in the other direction, he met Shinobu's amused and teasing smile. 'Was she eavesdropping on our conversation?' Ace wondered.

After Yuki had left the room, Ace turned his full attention to Shinobu, who was still grinning teasingly.

"Enjoying the show?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow.

Shinobu chuckled, "I couldn't resist. Your little charade was quite entertaining. You've certainly quite a mischievous one. Even reminding her of your demand once again."

Ace leaned back, a hint of curiosity in his eyes, "So, what's with her? She seemed awfully anxious when you mentioned someone was looking for her."

Shinobu's expression turned a little pensive. "Yuki's got quite a sad past. With her being orphaned, she had little means to earn something, reducing her to take debts even for her parents' cremation. The debt collectors have been harassing her for a while now. I think that's why she was so quick to accept your 'demand.'"

Ace's curiosity deepened. "Debt collectors, huh? That's not good."

Just as they were having this conversation, a commotion erupted from outside the room.

Ace could hear raised voices and the unmistakable sound of a scuffle.

Shinobu gazed outside with mild surprise. "That sounds like trouble."

Ace, also tried to get up, to see outside but with his injuries, it wasn't easy. He shot a look at Shinobu for help.

Shinobu quickly moved towards Ace and assisted him in getting up. Together, they headed towards the source of the disturbance outside.

"Where's the money, Yuki?" one of the men demanded, his tone far from friendly.

Yuki stammered, "I... I need some more time. Please, just a little more."

But it seemed they weren't going to be patient anymore as one of the men took hold of Yuki's hand, yanking her toward him, and said, "If you can't pay us, you would have to pay with your body."

Ace, observing the situation, asked Shinobu, "Should we intervene? It doesn't seem like a friendly discussion."

Shinobu nodded, her eyes narrowing. "Let's go. We can't let them harass her any further."

Shinobu walked up to the debt collectors and said, "I suggest you give her that time and take your threats elsewhere."

The debt collectors eyed Shinobu with a mix of surprise and unease, some even showing desire at her beauty. One of them, more defiant, retorted, "This doesn't concern you. Stay out of it, girl."

Shinobu maintained her calm demeanour, sheathed her sword, and said, "Should I demonstrate to you whether it's my concern or not."

"It seems you know about us, so better scram from here while I am not using violence," Shinobu warned, causing them to immediately turn back and walk away.

Ace turned back to Yuki, his grin replaced with a more serious expression. "It looks like you're in quite some trouble. Mind explaining? We can provide help if you want, or if you don't, that's okay too.""

Yuki hesitated briefly, then, with a resigned sigh, shared her plight. "I lost my parents recently, and they didn't leave me much. They were just a normal guard and a small cook in the village head's house, so the debts for their cremation and other expenses slowly piled up.

However, my neighbour helped me connect with these men who claim to be debt collectors, but they're more like loan sharks. I borrowed money from them at supposedly cheap rates to give my parents a proper farewell. Now, they're harassing me for repayment, and I can't keep up."

"How cheap were the rates, Yuki?" Ace inquired.

"Only 20%," Yuki replied.

"And what was the collateral?" Shinobu gently asked.

"Umm… My parents' house," Yuki said timidly under the stern gazes of Ace and Shinobu.

'She got scammed.' Both of them had the same thought.

"The neighbour is despicable," they said in unison.

Looking at each other, both of them nodded, finding their thoughts aligned. Both of them shared their disdain for her malicious neighbour.

"So… Can you help her, Kocho-san?" Ace asked, expressing his distaste for loan sharks, as it reminded him of student loans.

"I can help her by intimidating the debt collectors, but I lack the funds to personally settle her debts," Shinobu clarified.

"You guys don't have to help me with anything; I can manage this myself. Saving my life is already a kindness that I can never repay."

"What about running?" Ace proposed.

"Huh?" Both of them were astonished.

"Since these debt collectors can scam you, why not just leave?" Ace suggested.

"Leaving might be a good idea. You could start fresh in a new place, away from these troubles," Ace continued.

"They have seen Yuki with us, and if they witness her leaving town at the same time as us, they might assume we took her along. It could tarnish the Corps' reputation, and I won't let that happen."

Sighing a little, Yuki put on a strained smile and said, "You guys should go; I will manage it. There's no need to worry."

"They are already threatening you now. With us gone, we don't know what they would do. So it's better for you to leave with us before sunrise and settle elsewhere." Ace suggested.

"But…"

With a concerned expression, Shinobu added, "You know what happens to those who fall into their hands, right? It is never good. Most are sold to rich nobles or to a brothel."

"..."

"Then it's settled. You should leave at dawn and meet us outside of the village in the south." Ace said.

"The headquarters are in the South, right?" Ace asked.

"No, it's in the North," Shinobu replied, shaking her head.

"Okay, 1 km to the north," Ace corrected.

"What if they blame you?" Yuki asked.

"As long as they don't see us leaving together, they won't be able to point fingers easily, especially at us, considering Kocho-san just saved the village from the demon," Ace explained.

"You're quite devious," Shinobu remarked.

"It's called being resourceful," Ace replied.

"So, are we in agreement with this plan?" Ace asked.

"Hmm... Okay, as long as it doesn't tarnish the Corps' reputation. If it does, you're to blame," Shinobu stated.

Amidst the discussion about how to save her, Yuki's eyes welled up slightly. "Thank you very much, guys."

Hearing the same line from her, Ace couldn't resist a mischievous comment, "Did you forget about our prior discussion?"

Yuki blushed, her embarrassment returning after being reminded of Ace's compensation.

Shinobu quickly elbowed Ace and said, "Stop teasing her."

Ending their discussion and with their plan in place, Ace and Shinobu made preparations for Yuki's departure. Despite her anxiety, Yuki tried her best to hide it behind a brave smile.

As the evening turned into night, Ace and Shinobu exchanged thoughts about the situation. "You know," Ace began, "it's surprising how things turned out. Kocho-san came here to kill the demon, and now you're helping Yuki escape from debt collectors."

Shinobu nodded, her eyes reflecting the dim light of the room. "Life is unpredictable. I didn't expect to get involved in something like this, but I'm glad we can help her."

When the time came, Yuki quietly left her house, taking only the essentials with her. With Ace still in bed due to his injuries, the two met at the designated spot. Yuki looked at Shinobu with gratitude in her eyes.

Shinobu gave her a reassuring smile. "Remember, we'll meet you at our headquarters in the south when this is all over. Stay safe, Yuki."

Shinobu added, "And don't worry about your house. We'll find a way to deal with those debt collectors at some later time."

Nodding Yuki turned and disappeared into the night, determined to start anew and escape the clutches of her malicious neighbour and the debt collectors.

Shinobu watched her go, happy that she will leave her problems here and start anew.

The night continued to envelop the village, and as she headed back to their temporary lodgings.

Ace asked "She left?"

Shinobu nodded "Yes."

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